Arts and Education News from The Education Policy and Leadership Center

In This Issue

AEI and EPLC News

Harrisburg Arts Education Advocacy Day - March 19

EPLC's Education Issues Poll Shows Support for the Arts

Interested in other Education Policy News?

Pennsylvania Arts Education Network Updates

Network Steering Committee Update

Individuals and Organizations To Join Network

Statewide Network Conference Calls

Network Communication

Public Policy News

House and Senate Committee Chairs and Membership

School Board Nomination Petitions Available Feb 19

Arts & Culture Caucus in PA General Assembly

Arts and Education News

PCA Executive Director Awarded Advocacy Honor

National Core Arts Standards Framework Released

Call for Student Artwork for March Show

Picasso Project Supports the Arts in Philadelphia

Poetry Out Loud Highlights Pennsylvania Students

ArtPlace Names Philadelphia in Top 12 Creative Cities

Vans Sneaker Competition Provides Funding for Art Programs

National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award

Fifth Annual Museums Advocacy Day - February 25-26

Chambersburg Billboards Showcase Local Artists

Susquehanna Art Museum to Highlight PA Collections

Do you have something to contribute to next month's AEI Note? Email Erin at gough@eplc.org to be included!

AEI and EPLC News

Harrisburg Arts Education Advocacy Day - March 19

EPLC and the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network want to take advantage of March, the month identified to celebrate arts education in its various forms, as an opportunity to have an advocacy activity in the state Capitol. This will be most successful if it is complemented by activity at the local level, and there will be ways in which everybody will be able to help. Stay posted for up-to-date details about the event and how you can be involved by checking periodically on the Network's website, facebook page and twitter feed.

EPLC's Education Issues Poll Shows Support for Arts

The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) has released the results of its Education Issues Poll conducted in November 2012. Poll results show Pennsylvania voters continue to overwhelmingly value public education, support an increase in state funding for Pennsylvania's 500 school districts, and support public school choices, while opposing the use of taxpayer funds for private school tuition. The poll also featured three questions on the importance and quality of arts opportunities for Pennsylvania citizens and continues to find strong support for arts education as a part of a comprehensive education. For more information about the poll and what it means for arts education supporters, please visit the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network website.

Interested in other Education Policy News?

As an arts community, it is important to be aware of broader education issues, including the advocacy and legislation that ultimately affects teachers, students, artists, and community members. To keep your finger on the pulse of the General Assembly, State Board of Education, and Department of Education, and receive information about new education reports, announcements, and important events, sign-up to receive EPLC's free online publications here. Current and past editions of the EPLC Education Notebook are also available by visiting the EPLC website.

Pennsylvania Arts Education Network Updates

Network Steering Committee Update

We appreciate the special commitment to the Network that has been made by those individuals and organizations who have accepted invitations to serve on the Network's Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is responsible for approving public policy positions to be supported by the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network, approving all public policy statements and related communications to state policymakers on behalf of the Network, and advising EPLC concerning the organization and management of other Network activities.

In the past month the following organizations have committed to join the Steering Committee:

Individuals and Organizations To Join Network All individuals and organizations are invited and encouraged to join the Pennsylvania Arts Education Network and become a member of a growing coalition of Pennsylvania advocates for arts education. Individuals and organizations can join the Network at no cost by visiting ArtsEducationPA.org. 2013 is an important year for arts education advocacy in Pennsylvania, and we need your help.

Statewide Network Conference Calls

EPLC and the PA Arts Education Network will continue to host Harrisburg Briefing Network Conference Calls on the third Thursday of every month at 4 p.m. These calls typically include updates about the Network, legislative Arts and Culture Caucus, Pennsylvania Department of Education, and other Network partner organizations. Conference calls are open to all Network members and friends.

Future monthly Network Conference Calls are scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on these third Thursdays : February 21, March 21, and April 18.

Recordings of past conference calls, including the most recent call held January 17, are available here.

Be the first to know what is going on at Network headquarters by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

Inquiries about the PA Arts Education Network can be directed to Network CoordinatorErin Goughat gough@eplc.org.

Public Policy News

House and Senate Committee Chairs and Membership

The 2013 legislative session began officially on January 1. Below is a list of committee leaders relevant to the arts and education. If the community where you live or work has a Representative or Senator who serves on one of these committees, it is especially important to introduce yourself and build a relationship.

School board members can be some of the most influential voices in assuring a quality arts education for our students. February 19 is the first day to circulate and file nomination petitions to be placed on the ballot for the 2013 Pennsylvania Primary Election, including school board nominations. Petitions are due on March 12. For more information about running for office, generally, visit the Pennsylvania Department of State's website. For information about how to run for School Board, visit the Pennsylvania School Boards Association's (PSBA) website. EPLC, with the cooperation of PSBA and Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will conducts a series of regional full-day workshops for 2013 Pennsylvania School Board Candidates. Incumbents, non-incumbents, campaign supporters and all voters interested in education issues are invited to participate in these workshops. Visit www.eplc.org for more information about these sessions which discuss the role of school boards, school district budgets, and major education issues that shape the work of school boards.

The Sidney R. Yates Advocacy Award honors an individual, or an organization, for a particular advocacy effort or for a sustained advocacy campaign at the national, state or local level that has had a significant impact on the performing arts. Congratulations to Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Executive Director, Philip Horn, who was presented with the award at the 2013 Association of Performing Arts Presenters' annual conference in January. He the only state arts agency director to have ever received this honor.

National Core Arts Standards Framework Released

The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) has released a narrative framework document that details the rationale, goals, and strategy of the new National Standards for Arts Education that are currently being written by five arts discipline teams. The National Core Arts Standards: A Conceptual Framework for Arts Learning was formally released as part of a video presentation during the January 18-20 meeting of the coalition's leadership and writing teams. To view the conceptual framework presentation to the field from January 18, visit here.

Call for Student Artwork for March Show

Members of the Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA) advocacy team are working together with PAEA members and their students to coordinate a state-wide exhibition of student work to coincide with the observance of Youth Art Month in March. More information and a call for entries are available on the paeablog.org website. All artwork must be mailed or delivered to your PAEA regional representative by February 15, 2013. The show will be hung at PA Department of Education in the Honors Suite March 2 - April 6. A reception for students and their families will be held on March 23.

Picasso Project Supports the Arts in Philadelphia

As part of its efforts to keep the arts alive in Philadelphia schools, the Picasso Project, an arts advocacy program of Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), will present grants totaling $52,000 to fourteen Philadelphia public schools at an awards ceremony on January 29 at the World Cafe Live headquarters in Philadelphia. Call PCCY at 215-563-5848 for more information about this event.

PCCY's Picasso Project was created in 2002 to increase arts education opportunities for students in the School District of Philadelphia and to improve the capacity of schools to provide arts education experiences. The Picasso Project engages in advocacy towards long-term changes in access to and funding for arts learning in Philadelphia schools. As of 2013, the Picasso Project has made grants totaling $418,500 during 11 years to fund 115 arts projects, reaching approximately 29,000 students in city public schools.

If you are unable to participate in an official event, you may consider doing an event on a small scale while keeping abreast of the national competition. The National Finals will be held in April, during National Poetry Month. For competition information, teaching resources including lesson plans, and advice on organizing a contest and promotional ideas, visit poetryoutloud.org.

ArtPlace Names Philadelphia in Top 12 Creative Cities America's Top Twelve artplaces were announced by ArtPlace, a collaboration of leading national and regional foundations, banks, and federal agencies committed to accelerating "creative placemaking" - putting art at the heart of a portfolio of strategies designed to revitalize communities. America's Top Twelve ArtPlaces include Phildealphia's Old City neighborhood and were identified as having successfully combined the arts, artists, and venues for creativity and expression with independent businesses, restaurants, and a walkable lifestyle to make vibrant neighborhoods.

Vans Sneaker Competition Provides Funding for Art Programs

Vans Sneakers is hosting their Custom Culture competition, a national high school shoe customization contest where schools from all over the United States compete for a chance to win up to $50,000 for their art programs. Registered schools will receive four pairs of blank Vans sneakers to be customized in four themes: Art, Music, Action Sports and Local Flavor. The deadline for teachers to register their schools is February 11 and more information can be found here.

After-school and out-of-school time arts and humanities programs are encouraged to consider submitting an application. Programs applying for the award must meet all of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award's Eligibility Criteria. Completed applications will only be accepted via the online process. The deadline for application submissions is Monday, February 4, 5:00 p.m. PST. Please click the following link to access the online National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards Application: http://www.nahyp.org/how-to-apply/.

Fifth Annual Museums Advocacy Day - February 25-26

The entire museum field - staff, students, board members, volunteers, supporters and independent professionals who work for and with museums - is encouraged to join theAmerican Alliance of Museums in Washington, DC for a day of advocacy training and programming followed by a day of visits with Congressional offices and colleagues. Visit here for more information and to register.

Harrisburg's Susquehanna Art Museum is in the middle of several major changes. Using a $5 million redevelopment grant guaranteed by the Commonwealth, the museum is in the process of moving from the downtown location into a new building based around a former bank in the midtown neighborhood of Harrisburg. This project will be led by new Executive Director, Laurene Buckley, who will begin her term on January 28. One of the major goals of the new building is to receive accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, allowing it to display valuable works from Pennsylvania's world-famous museums, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.